For You
by Sherra
Summary: Fuko-Raiha. Can Raiha be part of the Uraha and be with Fuko?
1. Raiha's problem

Yo folks, Sherra here. This is my first attempt at a FoR fanfic, so enjoy (or not. but I hope you'll enjoy!). It is a snowday today and with extra time on my hands I figured that I'd get some of this out. Got the idea a few days ago while chatting with my sis'. For those who didn't read the summary, this is a Raiha-Fuko fic. The anime pretty much ignores their relationship but the manga has much more of their interactions, much to my joy. Oh, and I have no idea when this takes place. Sometime after the UBS but Kurei is still alive. There you go, now read!  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * ** * * * Raiha rolled sideways to avoid the katana swing, slashing upwards and bringing down his foe. He detected movement to the left and the purple- haired ninja easily dodged another blow. It was almost too easy, not a challenge for the most powerful of the Uraha. That is, it wasn't a challenge until the attacker he thought was dead made a surprise attack from behind. Raiha didn't feel the pain of the wound as the katana slashed into his shoulder but knew the warm blood trickling down his arm was his own. With a whirl and a few well-thrown shurikens this enemy too was dead.  
  
Those who weren't now deceased had fled, his job was done. It was only now that Raiha took the time to look at the injury that the last attacker had left. It was a shallow wound but was bleeding nastily and would need a few stitches. Raiha sighed as he wound a piece of torn cloth around the spot. Kurei-sama wouldn't be a problem, but her. Well, maybe she wouldn't notice.  
  
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Raiha waved merrily at the Recca-gumi as he approached, wide smile on his face. He was greeted with the usual expressions, Domon's scowl, Tokiya's cold glance, Yanagi's nervous smile, and Recca's indifferent shrug. They still weren't quite used to the idea of him hanging out with them, after all, he was Uraha and they were Hokage. Even though there weren't any current plans from either group to annihilate the other hostilities still remained. Not to mention other difficulties. Domon didn't understand why Fuko would like Raiha when he had been available to her all those years and Raiha doubted that he would hesitate if given an oppurtunity to bash his skull in with the Saturn Ring. Today Raiha was wearing long sleeves to hide the bandages extending half-way down his forearm but if the Hokage noticed anything different they weren't commenting. Not even Fuko.  
  
Raiha blinked. "Where's Fuko?" he asked as his smile gave way for disappointed regret.  
  
The Hokage's expressions turned mischevious as once again Raiha failed to detect someone lunging at him from behind. "Raiha!" shouted the Fujin master right before she vaulted onto his back.  
  
He had really hoped that she wouldn't notice.  
  
Raiha was usually sure-footed enough to handle Fuko's flying jumps but today was different. The weakness due to his recent injuring combined with the momentum of her leap and her elbow jabbing directly into his shoulder was enough to make him stagger. He couldn't quite keep the pain out of his expression as he regained expression and Fuko let go immediately when she saw it.  
  
"What was that, Raiha?" she demanded as she circled around to face him.  
  
"What was what?" asked Raiha with his composure returned. That was right. You didn't see anything. You didn't see-  
  
"That 'ouch' look. What was that?" Fuko glared fiercly at Raiha as he desperately tried to think of an excuse. She couldn't find out about this.  
  
"Pulled muscle?" he ventured to her unyielding expression. "Its nothing, really. I was just." He trailed off as he saw her eyes widen, staring at the spot on his shoulder that she had jabbed him. Apparently she had torn a few stitches. Red was seeping through the blue cloth and now there was no escape.  
  
"You're hurt." It wasn't an expression of sympathy or a question, it was an accusation.  
  
"Uh, Hime wants some ice cream," said Recca quickly from the group. "So we're just going to go get some for her."  
  
The Hokage beat a quick retreat, leaving Fuko and Raiha alone. They had seen this before. Fuko and Raiha would be blissfully happy together for a while then something like this would come up. Recca and the others had learned a long time ago that it was best not to be around when Fuko got that look in her eye and it was the unspoken rule that they retreat until it was over. Raiha watched them leave and wished that he could be heading off with them. He didn't like doing this anymore than they did, not saying that Fuko enjoyed it either.  
  
"Fu-chan," he said, using his pet-name for her. "Let me explain."  
  
"Explain what? Why you showed up here bleeding today?"  
  
"Well, it wasn't bleeding until you jumped on me."  
  
"You know what I mean," hissed Fuko. "You were off following his orders and you nearly got your arm chopped off. That is all the explanation I need."  
  
Raiha fought to keep is temper down but some of his irritance managed to leak through into his voice. "You're making too big a deal out of this. I was careless and paid the consequences. In a few weeks it will be gone and- "  
  
"And what? You can go off again and maybe get yourself killed next time? How does that make this any better?"  
  
"I'm not going to get killed! Yesterday I was fighting with mainly my katana. If things got bad enough that I could get killed then I'd use Raijin and-"  
  
"And what if that wasn't enough?"  
  
Their voices were starting to get loud enough to disturb other people in the area. When an old woman "shh"ed at them Fuko yelled back at her with enough ferocity to send her running. When she turned back to Raiha he was shocked to see tears glinting in the depths of her eyes. Tears of anger and maybe. something else?  
  
"Why do you keep doing this, listening to his orders? He doesn't care about you as anything other than a tool. You think that he would care if you got yourself killed one day? Yeah, he would care because he had to replace his best fighter. Do you know what that would mean for me though?"  
  
Raiha's anger melted away as he saw Fuko fighting against her rising emotions. She had never been happy about him being part of the Uraha but she always tried to keep her reasons hidden. He drew her close in a hug and held her as she glared up at him with tear-gleaming eyes.  
  
"Why don't you just quit? Why do you have to work for him anyways?" she asked as she rubbed roughly at her eyes.  
  
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"And I want it done quietly, Raiha," continued Kurei. "This man is well- known to the public and his death will not be ignored. The less evidence of assassination there is the better."  
  
"Yes, Kurei-sama," said Raiha. "Will that be all?"  
  
Kurei watched Raiha through his mask as he nodded. "Yes. You may leave."  
  
Raiha turned to depart but paused at the door. It was a breech in protocol, but. "Kurei-sama?" he ventured as he turned back around to face his master.  
  
"Yes?" Kurei's voice hung in the air. Raiha knew that he risked Kurei's displeasure with each further word that he said, but he had to ask.  
  
"What would you do if I asked permission to leave the Uraha?"  
  
Kurei's eyes narrowed, his bangles clinking as his hand shifted on the table. "And why do you ask this, Raiha?"  
  
He had gone too far. Raiha bowed his head in apology as he took another step towards the door. "Forgive me, Kurei-sama. I shouldn't have asked." He could feel Kurei's eyes on him as he left, shutting the door quietly behind him. He was Uraha. Quitting was not an option. Raiha thought of his Wind- goddess and couldn't help but to feel a little sad. If only things had been different. But, there was no use brooding upon them now. He had other duties and time was wasting while he was standing around. Raiha set off at a brisk pace down the hall. He had work to do.  
  
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This was going to be interesting. Raiha looked up the tall structure of metal and glass. His target was somewhere on the 24th floor, or at least would be. Somehow he had to get in undetected and back out again. That would probably mean that he couldn't use the elevator. Raiha sighed to himself as he thought about his problem. He really didn't want to walk up all those stairs but he didn't see a way to avoid it. No one would be using the stairs in such a big building and even if someone did come then he was sure that he could find somewhere to hide. But. 24 flights.  
  
Under the cover of darkness he ran to the one door that the Uraha intelligence said was un-alarmed. He would have to work quickly, the building had guards who patrolled back and forth at night to watch against possible intruders, like him. Raiha bent down to pick the lock and slipped into the door when he had unlocked it. A quick glance around the room told him that it was unoccupied and he quickly made his way to the stairs.  
  
Silent as a ghost he climbed, spiraling upwards into the building. As he climbed his mind began to wander again, fluttering back to the purple- haired member of the Hokage whose spirit and fierce personality had caught his admiration. Fuko. She wouldn't be happy until he was no longer Uraha, he knew that. To her his position in the Uraha was nothing more than a job, something that could be quit and forgotten at whim.  
  
It was much more than that, however. Raiha shared a bond with Kurei equal in strength as the one that he shared with Fuko. He had sworn to serve Kurei until either death or Kurie released him and it was an oath not lightly broken. He would die for Kurei if he had to and it had come close to that on several occasions. Raiha hoped that it would never come down to a choice between them. If he did then he couldn't be certain which he would choose. There was so many different forms of loyalty.  
  
"You there!"  
  
Raiha heard the gunshots and swung off one level of stairs to a lower one as the bullets screamed through the air, piercing the silence of the night.  
  
"Get him! He must be an assassin after Hasu-sama! Don't let him get away!"  
  
As more guards poured from doors from all sides Raiha leapt over the railing once more. He curled in a somersault and landed ten floors below on the ground level as bullets rained down around him. The alarms in the building began to screech as he ran back out through the door that he had come in through, tearing off into the surrounding forest and becoming one of the shadows. Once again he had been careless but this time it had been because he had been lost in thought, not because of overconfidence. Kurei- sama might not have minded the wounding of his last mission but failure was something that he could not tolerate. He wouldn't be happy about this, no, not happy at all.  
  
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"Raiha, what is the meaning of this?" asked Kurei in a cold tone as he regarded the ninja. "Your performance has been dropping recently but you have never allowed yourself to so utterly fail a mission."  
  
"I am sorry, Kurei-sama. I was careless."  
  
Kurei's eyes darkened beneath the shadow of his mask. "Or perhaps you are caring about the wrong things."  
  
Raiha hadn't bothered to keep his visiting Fuko from the other Uraha but Kurei had never outright denounced it. When Raiha didn't say anything Kurei continued, his voice dangerous and low. "I allowed you to pursue your infatuation with the thought that it would not interfere with your work. I was obviously mistaken, proved by your recent ineptitude. As a result of this, you are no longer allowed to consort with any member of the Hokage, especially not her. Any failure to obey this command will result in her immediate termination."  
  
Termination meant death. Raiha nodded, his face in the soft glow of light coming in from the windows. "Kurei-sama," he began before being cut off by the flame-master.  
  
"That is enough, Raiha. This is not up to discussion. If you see that girl again I will have her killed. You are dismissed."  
  
Raiha felt his arguments die before he even had a chance to speak them. When Kurei said something was final it was final. He left the room, his mind futily searching for a way that he would ever get to see Fuko again. Failing in its quest, he allowed a dullness to spread over him. He wouldn't even be able to tell Fuko what had happened. For all she knew he was dead, killed on one of Kurei's missions. Maybe it was better if she thought that. Then she wouldn't hope. Hope had always been useless in the Uraha. 


	2. Joker's meddling

This be Sherra once more! Heh, I know it has been a long time since I've done anything with this fic. I really just wrote it on that snowday to have something to do and because I had this idea that I wanted to test out. Well, as it turns out the idea that I wanted to write probably won't get in the fic anyways because it wouldn't really work with how the plot is turning out. But, oh well!  
  
Yeah, I know that Kurei was acting a bit out of character in the previous chapter so in this one I tried to explain it a bit. Again, I was just writing this fic for fun then so wasn't bothering with deep ponderances about what I was doing to the characters. I've decided now that I'm going to try to finish this thing with all the characters in character. Things work out better that way.  
  
Anyways, this chapter is fairly short and is mainly Joker wandering around doing stuff. For those of you who haven't read the mangas, Joker is one of Kurei's strongest Uraha and is... well.. one of his requirements for joining the Uraha was that he would never have to respect Kurei. He is, as his name suggests, a joker, and I hope that you enjoy him wandering around. Hopefully I'll have another chapter of this up soon, that is... if I don't forget about it again...  
  
  
  
"Come on, Neon-chan! I was only joking!" called out Joker to Neon's retreating form. He watched her from underneath his floppy black hat as she stormed off, maids skittering out of her path as she went by. Joker heaved a nasal sigh. Why couldn't Neon appreciate his brilliant sense of humor? Well, maybe it was just jokes about the size of her breasts that she minded. Joker shrugged and began to head off in the opposite direction as Neon had gone, looking around for someone else to bother.  
  
"Heeeeeeey Raiha!" exclaimed Joker as he rounded a corner and found the purple-haired ninja leaning against a wall.  
  
"Not right now, Joker," said Raiha, none of his usual cheer and energy showing in his blank expression.  
  
Though no one could see it behind the hat, Joker blinked in surprise. Raiha was usually so much fun, too! It wasn't fair that both Neon and Raiha be mopey when Joker wanted to have fun. He gave Raiha a prod with his trident- shaped elemental weapon but Raiha only glared. "I said not right now and I meant it!" snapped Raiha as he straightened up and took a step away from his fellow Uraha. "I'm not in the mood to be teased so go find someone else."  
  
"Don't wanna find someone else!" whined Joker. "Neon is already sulking and Kurei-han never laughs at my jokes! Who else am I supposed to hang out with? Magensha?"  
  
Raiha had had enough. He threw up his hands in frustration and began to trace Neon's steps back down the hall. "I don't care, Joker! Just leave me alone!"  
  
Joker watched Raiha find his own door to slam and felt bitter pangs of disappointment. What was up with people today? Maybe it was the phase of the moon or something. Joker peered out the window and saw a crescent moon shining back down on him. Nope. Wasn't the moon. Joker wandered over to a trashcan and banged it with his elemental weapon for a few minutes. When no one was attracted by the sound he stopped and sighed yet another sigh.  
  
"Well, maybe Kurei-han is in a good mood," murmured Joker as he set off to find the flame-master.  
  
Joker searched through Kurei's office. He wasn't there. Joker poked through Kurei's room and even stuck his head into the shower to look for him, but he wasn't there. Neon didn't know where he was and neither did Mori's flunkies. Joker was just about to give up his prospect of having fun when he found Kurei, sitting in the garden and twirling something between his finger.  
  
A rose. It was a rose. "Uh oh," muttered Joker as he hid behind a shrub. There was only one thing that Kurei would be looking melancholy about while hanging around flowers at that was Kurenai, his lost love. Maybe that was why everyone was so mopey, Kurei was mopey and he was spreading it around. Misery loves company, after all. "But so does joviality!" said Joker as he stepped out from his hiding place. "Hey, Kurei-han!"  
  
Kurei dropped the rose and in an instant his face was emotionless, cold blue eyes glaring at Joker. "What?" It sounded more like a death threat than a question but that had never stopped Joker before. He sat himself beside Kurei and picked up the rose that he had dropped, inhaling deeply of its scent and then giving an exaggerated sneeze.  
  
"Not right now, Joker," growled Kurei.  
  
"Hey, did you tell Raiha and Neon to say that because I've heard it from both of them tonight."  
  
A flicker of something passed over Kurei's face and he gave a shrug. "Maybe they finally realize that the Uraha isn't all fun and games."  
  
"But it isn't all mope and whine either! Neon is always kinda crabby but what is up with Raiha?"  
  
Kurei's emotionless face hardened. "He is learning that there are some things that just have no place in the Uraha."  
  
"Like what? Smiling? He looks like someone just told him that Christmas was canceled. Raiha is always fun but now he looks like a zombie! What did you tell him?"  
  
Kurei's eyes flicked to the rose for a moment but the movement was not quick enough for Joker to miss. Joker slowly picked the rose off from the ground and put it back in Kurei's hands, watching the flame-master closely as he took it back. The melancholy was back. Joker could tell that Kurei was doing his best to hide it but he was used to seeing Kurei's veiled emotions.  
  
"I told him that he couldn't see her again," said Kurei in what was barely above a whisper. "I told him that I'd have her killed."  
  
"And now you regret it, huh?" asked Joker cheerfully in his kansai accent. "Well I suppose that I'll find some way to forgive you and he probably will too. "I'll even go tell him to chase the girl down, if you want. I'm sure that he could be persuaded to change his mind about this not-seeing thing."  
  
Kurei nodded. "Right. That would be great, Joker."  
  
Joker stood up and gave a dramatic bow. "Have no worries, Kurei-han! I'll have our favorite ninja grinning like an idiot again before the night is out!" Joker gave an impish grin and waved at Kurei before running off into the night, leaving Kurei regarding the red rose that was still in his hands.  
  
"Kurenai..."  
  
  
  
Joker walked into Raiha's room, "forgetting" to knock. It was because of this that he was able to see Raiha unguarded for a moment, sadness and pain showing on his face before it returned to the blank look that he had given him earlier. "What, Joker?"  
  
"Eh, nothing. Just decided to visit."  
  
Raiha narrowed his eyes. "Well I'm not accepting visitors right now so go away. Come back some other year, maybe."  
  
"Oooooh, you sting me!" exclaimed Joker as he flopped down on Raiha's bed. "I'm only visiting! It's not like I'm going to beat you up or anything like that Hokage girl does."  
  
A twinge of emotion flashed across Raiha's face at the mention but he quickly covered it up. "Well I'm not going to be seeing her anytime soon so I guess I won't have to worry about that."  
  
Joker nodded knowingly. "Ah, yes. Love hurts, doesn't it?"  
  
Raiha winced slightly at the word. "Please Joker, please leave me alone. I'm really not in the mood for talking right now."  
  
"Well I am so you'd better listen!" Joker lunged forward from the bed and grabbed Raiha by the collar, giving him a good shake. "What the hell are you doing here, Raiha?"  
  
"I'm serving Kurei-sama!" Raiha shoved Joker roughly off and retreated to another corner of the room to glare from a distance.  
  
"That isn't what I meant," sighed Joker. "I mean, what are you doing here, in this building, right now, while your lady waits out there for you in the moonlight? Huh?"  
  
Raiha gave a jerky shake of his head. "No, I can't see her anymore. Kurei- sama said-"  
  
"Just forget what 'Kurei-sama' said!" snapped Joker. "You gotta learn which of his orders you have to follow and which you don't! If you take everything that Kurei-han says at face value then you must really believe that he is Mori's son and a living the life he wants to live. Some things he means and some things he doesn't! Get to know that, you dumb ninja!"  
  
"But he said specifically-"  
  
"He just told me the exact opposite specifically!" interrupted Joker. "He told me that he doesn't give a darn what you do with this Hokage girl. Marry her for all he cares." Joker put his hands on his hips and glowered at the stunned ninja. "Do whatever you want with her, just don't mope around here about her because I'm not going to put up with it, you hear me?"  
  
Raiha's stunned look slowly transformed into one of realization and then joy. His usual smile returned to his face as he nodded. "Hai, Joker! No more moping!"  
  
Joker gave Raiha a friendly slap on the back. "Well then, go get her! What are you waiting for?"  
  
Raiha's smile grew an amused edge. "Somehow I don't think that Fuko would be very thrilled if I dropped into her room in the middle of the night. I think that I'll wait for tomorrow, is that ok with you?"  
  
"Well, I suppose it'll do. Now, I think that I'll leave you to write your love poetry or whatever." Joker gave Raiha one last grin before disappearing out the door, leaving a very happy ninja inside.  
  
"What would these people do without me?" mused Joker, letting his weapon come to rest on his shoulder as he strode off down the hall. 


End file.
